Chapter 164

The Waiter brought out the food.

It was the meal Soma had ordered before Pyo Wol arrived.

“Let’s eat, Hyung-ah!”

Soma rubbed his hands together.

Having not eaten a proper meal while living on the road, his mouth watered at the sight of the delicious food before him.

“What about the others?”

“The people from Snow Cloud Stronghold have already eaten and gone to their rooms, and the Wanderer hyung-ahs also came in a little while ago. One of them had become one-eyed. Was that your doing?”

“It was!”

“Did you have all the fun, Hyung-ah? You should have let me do it.”

“You weren’t there.”

“I should never be apart from you from now on. Hehe!”

Soma giggled and picked up his chopsticks.

Anyone else who heard him would have gotten goosebumps all over, but Pyo Wol didn’t find it strange at all.

That was just the kind of child Soma was.

He couldn’t be judged by the standards of an ordinary person. And Pyo Wol was no ordinary person either. That was why he understood Soma.

The cook’s skills were not that great.

The seasoning was inconsistent, and some dishes had an overpowering aroma.

But both of them ate without complaint.

They were not picky eaters, and this level of quality was more than enough to satisfy them.

Pyo Wol and Soma were similar in many ways.

One of them was that they were both light eaters.

They ate a variety of foods, but never in large quantities.

This was because eating a lot made the body sluggish and dulled the senses.

For that reason, they ate their food in small bites. Anyone who didn’t know them would surely have cursed them, seeing men pecking at their food.

They didn’t touch alcohol either.

It might feel good in the moment of drinking, but it loosened the nerves and left one defenseless.

It was while the two were engrossed in their meal.

Kwang!

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard from outside.

A strong vibration was transmitted all the way to the chairs Pyo Wol and Soma were sitting on.

＊＊＊

“Keuk!”

Shin Mu-geom knelt on one knee, gripping his sword tightly.

Jiiing!

The sword was crying.

Shin Mu-geom possessed the skill to make a sword cry. But the sword’s current cry was not of his own will.

The blade was trembling from the shock of blocking a sudden attack.

“Orabeoni!”

Mok Ga-hye, who was behind him, tried to step forward. But Shin Mu-geom raised a hand to stop her.

“It’s dangerous. Stay behind me.”

“Orabeoni?”

“I will protect you.”

Shin Mu-geom straightened his back and stood up.

In front of him, he could see the men who had ambushed him.

There were seven of them in total, each one emitting a rough, unrefined Qi Wave.

Martial Artists who had grown strong in the wilderness, not in the prestigious Orthodox Faction, possessed this kind of Qi Wave.

In other words, the men who had ambushed him were Wanderers.

Shin Mu-geom pointed his sword at them and opened his mouth.

“Who are you bastards? Who ordered this Raid?”

“You don’t need to know that. Just hand over the Gongpo Sword.”

“How did you…?”

Shin Mu-geom’s eyes wavered.

He carried two swords.

One was the sword in his hand, and the other was a sword carefully wrapped in white cloth and slung across his back.

The name of the sword on his back was Gongpo.

“Hand over the Gongpo Sword, and we’ll spare your life.”

“Who ordered this? The fact that we have the Gongpo is top secret…”

“Tsk! Your long tongue tells me you have no intention of handing it over quietly. Well, it doesn’t matter. We had no intention of letting you live anyway.”

The leader’s single eye glinted sharply.

He was none other than the One-Eyed Ghost, Baek Jin-gung.

The ones who had attacked Shin Mu-geom were the Demon Pursuit Squad he led.

As soon as they received information that Mok Ga-hye and Shin Mu-geom had been spotted in Bishan, they had rushed over without rest. And after searching every inch of Bishan, they had finally found the two.

Baek Jin-gung’s eye gleamed with Killing Intent.

His one and only eye was fixed on the sword slung across Shin Mu-geom’s back.

The sword named Gongpo.

One of three Treasured swords created through the collaboration of the legendary craftsmen Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang.

The sword called Gongpo was one of the three great swords, along with Tai-Ah and Dragon Abyss.

‘To think the Gongpo actually existed.’

A famous sword didn’t necessarily have any special effects.

It was merely a bit harder or sharper than other swords. But famous swords had stories.

Stories about the owners of those famous swords.

The owners of Tai-Ah and Dragon Abyss were all heroes who had dominated their eras. Thus, the perception of them as heroes’ swords was strong.

In contrast, only the name of Gongpo was passed down; no one had ever seen the real thing.

Tai-Ah, Dragon Abyss, and Gongpo were all swords made by the same craftsmen.

If the other two were heroes’ swords, then Gongpo also deserved to be called a hero’s sword.

One could be called a hero for the sole reason of wielding Gongpo.

With the flow of time, Tai-Ah and Dragon Abyss had disappeared.

It was unknown whether they were broken or buried with their owners.

What was certain was that the probability of them ever appearing in the world again was almost zero. And then, Gongpo, which was treated as the equal of the other two swords, had appeared.

Anyone would be bound to covet it.

‘To think the Gongpo was passed down as an heirloom of a nameless martial family.’

The owner of the Gongpo was the Mok family.

For some reason, Mok Ga-hye was heading to Enshi with the family heirloom, Gongpo.

The request Baek Jin-gung had received was to seize the Gongpo along the way.

The client had said it wasn’t necessary to take their lives, but Baek Jin-gung’s thoughts were different.

‘I’ll kill them to eliminate any future trouble for sure.’

If rumors spread that they had seized the Gongpo, they would become the target of many.

The name Gongpo held that much value.

Just for the reason of being its owner, one’s fame would shake the Jianghu.

If a renowned Martial Artist of the Jianghu became the owner of Gongpo, everyone would revere them. But if rumors spread that a mere Wanderer like Baek Jin-gung was the owner, many would surely rush to kill him.

So, he had to deal with Shin Mu-geom and Mok Ga-hye as quietly as possible. Even if it went against the client’s wishes.

“Captain!”

“We’re here.”

Members of the Demon Pursuit Squad appeared from all corners of the alley.

Those who had been scattered, searching for Mok Ga-hye and Shin Mu-geom, had rushed over upon seeing the signal.

‘Twenty in all!’

Shin Mu-geom’s face darkened.

He had felt overwhelmed when just seven blocked his path, but now their numbers had tripled.

‘No matter what happens to me, I must protect Ga-hye.’

Shin Mu-geom steeled his resolve and tightened his grip on his sword.

“Attack!”

At that moment, the Demon Pursuit Squad’s wave-like assault began.

The Demon Pursuit Squad was extremely adept at this kind of work.

They identified Shin Mu-geom’s weakness as Mok Ga-hye and focused their attacks on her.

Mok Ga-hye, as a descendant of a martial family, also possessed outstanding Martial Arts skills. But she had almost no experience in real combat.

Because of that, she struggled against the Wanderers’ rough offensive.

“You bastards!”

Naturally, Shin Mu-geom’s hands and feet were thrown into disarray.

Flaws appeared as he tried to save the endangered Mok Ga-hye. Baek Jin-gung relentlessly attacked Shin Mu-geom’s openings.

‘Just as I expected.’

A vile smile hung on his lips.

Shin Mu-geom’s Martial prowess was no ordinary thing.

If they had fought Shin Mu-geom under normal circumstances, more than half of the Demon Pursuit Squad would have had to be prepared to die. That was how exceptional Shin Mu-geom’s Martial Arts were.

Even Baek Jin-gung himself couldn’t be confident of victory if he clashed head-on with Shin Mu-geom. But he had the burden named Mok Ga-hye.

He didn’t care if others called him a coward.

If he had valued honor, he would have become a Disciple of a prestigious sect instead of a Wanderer.

He was the kind of man who wouldn’t care if his reputation hit rock bottom, as long as he could achieve his goal.

He left Shin Mu-geom entirely to his Subordinates and attacked Mok Ga-hye himself.

With Baek Jin-gung joining in, Mok Ga-hye, who was already holding on precariously, could no longer endure and suffered a large wound on her side.

“Ack!”

Her scream shook Shin Mu-geom.

“Ga-hye!”

Shin Mu-geom threw himself forward to save Mok Ga-hye without a second thought. He was wounded in the process, but he didn’t even feel the pain.

His mind was filled with the single-minded thought of saving Mok Ga-hye, no matter what.

‘An opportunity!’

Baek Jin-gung did not miss the opening and delivered a strike like a thunderbolt.

Puk!

“Keuk!”

Shin Mu-geom staggered, a large wound on his back. But he endured, refusing to fall.

“Orabeoni!”

Mok Ga-hye looked at Shin Mu-geom standing before her, her eyes filled with tears. His back was stained red with blood.

Mok Ga-hye squeezed her eyes shut.

Watching Shin Mu-geom get hurt because of her was more painful than death.

‘In the end, I’m just holding him back.’

Tears flowed from her eyes on their own.

“We’re almost there. Push them a little more.”

Even in that moment, Baek Jin-gung urged on his Subordinates.

Under their wave-like assault, Shin Mu-geom’s wounds steadily increased. Still, he did not give up.

“Uwaaah!”

The sight of Shin Mu-geom swinging his sword with a beast-like roar was the very picture of desperation.

Baek Jin-gung and the Demon Pursuit Squad methodically wore down such a Shin Mu-geom.

They were seasoned hunters.

“Hehe!”

“Scream some more.”

They toyed with Shin Mu-geom and Mok Ga-hye.

It was when Mok Ga-hye was about to give up everything in despair.

“Noona, do you have any more beef jerky?”

Out of nowhere, a child’s voice was heard.

Startled, Mok Ga-hye looked ahead and saw a young child with disheveled hair and loose-fitting clothes.

It was a very strange sight.

Baek Jin-gung and the Demon Pursuit Squad had formed a watertight Encirclement around her and Shin Mu-geom.

Despite their frantic struggles, the two had been unable to break through the Encirclement. Yet a young boy had simply walked through it.

Mok Ga-hye couldn’t readily accept the situation before her eyes.

It was the same for the Demon Pursuit Squad.

“When did he…?”

“What’s with the kid?”

They couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

The feeling Baek Jin-gung experienced, in particular, was one of indescribable bewilderment.

Baek Jin-gung felt like he had seen the boy in front of Mok Ga-hye somewhere before. But he couldn’t remember exactly where.

The boy asked Mok Ga-hye once more.

“Noona, do you have any more beef jerky?”

The boy with the innocent smile was none other than Soma.

Mok Ga-hye shook her head with a confused expression.

“Th-that was the last of it.”

“Really?”

“B-but I can make you more.”

“Really?”

Soma’s face, which had briefly shown disappointment, lit up again.

“It’s true. I can make it quickly.”

“You promise?”

“I’ll make it for you if you save us.”

“Noona?”

“Yes?”

“Should I kill them all?”

In that moment, Mok Ga-hye felt a chilling sensation that she couldn’t explain in words.

Others might not know, but Mok Ga-hye knew very well how terrifying the words of the boy in front of her were.

At any other time, she would never have answered. But the sight of Shin Mu-geom, who had practically become a Blood Human, made her lose her reason.

“Yes!”

“Alright!”

At her answer, Soma beamed.

A member of the Demon Pursuit Squad who saw this wore a dumbfounded expression.

“What nonsense is this cheeky brat spouting… Keock!”

Shwiak!

At that moment, with a chilling sound of something slicing through the air, a fountain of blood erupted from the Martial Artist’s neck.

A chakram had sliced through his throat.

Giiing!

Before anyone knew it, seven chakrams were circling around Soma.